Israel: Counter-terrorism forces shoot dead suspected Hezbollah terrorist wearing primed explosive belt

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Just hours after a mysterious bomb blast on a highway in northern Israel seriously injured a man on Monday, Israeli counter-terrorism forces shot dead a suspected Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist wearing a primed explosives belt, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.

Israel’s Defense Forces and Shin Bet intelligence agency have said they believe the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group was responsible for planting the bomb on the side of the Route 65 highway near the Megiddo Junction on Monday morning, TOI reports. The blast caused serious injuries to Shareef ad-Din, 21, from the Arab village of Salem, who was driving his car at the time.

The bomb was unlike the type of explosive used by Palestinians; shrapnel from the blast hit Ad-Din’s car around 30 meters (98 feet) away from the device, TOI reports. The Israeli military closed the road and began to search for the person who planted the explosive device.

On Monday afternoon, the IDF spotted a suspicious-looking vehicle near the northern Israeli town of Ya’ara, close to the border with Lebanon, TOI reports. The suspected terrorist was inside the vehicle and was shot dead by officers of the elite police Yamam counterterrorism unit and Shin Bet.

In a statement, the IDF said the man presented a “clear danger.” There were weapons in his vehicle, and the suspect was wearing a prime explosives belt at the time of his death. “The assessment is that neutralizing the terrorist prevented another attack,” the IDF said.

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